by Lauren Spike

Category: punkabilly

Rancid Toronto – Rancid hits Toronto on July 29th, 2017 as part of their co-headlining tour, From Boston to Berkeley, with The Dropkick Murphys.

***Scroll Down for AFTER PARTY Info***

Rancid Toronto

If you don’t already have tickets. Well, I guess you are shit out of luck, unless you want to pay scalper prices. The From Boston to Berkeley Toronto tour stop at Echo Beach is sold out. The last time Rancid was in Toronto was for Riot Fest 2015 – which was the last time the festival was held in Toronto. Dropkick Murphys were here last September as part of TURF – Toronto Urban Roots festival. Also on the bill are The Bouncing Souls and Jake Burns (best known as the front-man for Stiff Little Fingers). This co-headlining bill was something Canadian punk lovers couldn’t miss out on. Other sold out dates on the tour include Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Asbury Park NJ and Sacramento CA.

Rancid Toronto After Party

Remember when Rancho Relexo used to have punk shows upstairs? Well, that space has now been officially turned into a new underground music venue called Stop, Drop & Roll. If you couldn’t get tickets, or if you want something to do after the Rancid show. There is an after party show going on at Stop, Drop & Roll, 300 College St. Pink door above Rancho Relaxo.Keep your Rancid/Dropkick Murphys Ticket stub, this will grant you free entry into the after party.If you don’t have tickets to Rancid/Dropkick Murphys you can buy $5 adv. tickets at http://www.laurenspike.com/tickets

From Echo Beach to Stop, Drop & Roll

Stop, Drop & Roll is one streetcar ride from Echo Beach. Just take the 511 Bathurst streetcar from Exhibition Loop and get off at College St. Walk east, toward Spadina past Augusta Ave. It is the Pink door above Rancho Relaxo.

From Union Station to Stop, Drop & Roll

If you are coming to/from Union station, it is also one streetcar ride. Just take the 510 Spadina streetcar to College and then walk west. The Spadina streetcar is kinda tricky to find if you are new to the city. You go to the TTC at union station and down to the subway platform where the Subway runs. There you will see signs directing you to the “streetcars”.

You could always just take the subway from Union station and walk from Queen’s park or take the 506 streetcar west on College. But personally I’d take the Spadina streetcar.

Need a poster for a gig?

Never fear, a D.I.Y. poster tutorial is here! Having a captivating image can help people notice your show. You can share it online. Adding a visual element to social shares is proven to attract more attention than social media posts with no images. The old school method of printing off posters to hang in the bar or in a record store still works! Every gig you do should have some sort of poster. Here is how you can do it yourself!

Poster Tutorial

Here is a simple poster tutorial! In this video I show you how to make a quick and easy punk rock poster in Adobe Photoshop. I also used Adobe Illustrator to copy and paste in a feature image, but you could skip this step by just using File–Place in Photoshop. This is a simple technique that can be applied in various ways.

Don’t Have Photoshop?

You could always go the old school approach. Drawing a poster with a marker, or literally cutting and pasting print letters and photos can give you a D.I.Y. punk look with no technical skills needed. All you need to do is bring your flyer to a local print centre and make black and white copies. See this blog post for some examples:http://www.cvltnation.com/diy-dadaism-when-80s-punk-posters-and-flyers-ruled/

Hey Toronto Punk!

Hey Toronto punk, I’m going to list my favourite venues! Ok, so my list might be a little bias because as a musician, how clubs treat me when I play them definitely affects my opinion of them. I will also take into account which ones I actually go to. My focus for this blog will be more on D.I.Y. shows.

1. Hard Luck Bar

772A Dundas St W. (Dundas & Bathurst)

It brings in great quality touring punk and metal bands as well as hosts great local shows. Sometimes the bar is used by larger promotion companies such as Collective Concerts, when they need a medium sized venue to host a punk crowd. As a local punk artist in Toronto, what I like about this bar is that they remember you. They will message you directly if they are interested in having you put on a show and will have you as an opener for a larger band if they need one.
More info at: https://www.facebook.com/HardLuckBar/

2. Coalition

282 Augusta Ave. (Kensington Market)

The sound of the underground! A bar near and dear to my heart as I played the first Lauren Spike show there! It was nice that they gave lil’ ol’ me a chance. Great atmosphere and great place to play. This bar features a large stage, pinball machines and a couple couches placed around the venue for lounging. It is located in Kensington Market, right off College street on Augusta. Very nice staff and D.I.Y. vibe. I have seen many underground shows here that other venues might not have hosted. More info at https://www.facebook.com/coalitiontoronto/

3. Stop, Drop & Roll

300 College st. (above Rancho Relaxo, just look for the Pink door)

The new kid on the block! Stop, Drop & Roll has been opened since the last week of December in 2016 and has already hosted legendary punks The Dead Boys, among others. Across the street from Coalition, they recently did a joint show with the other venue where patrons could buy wrist bands and attend both club’s shows. Talk about supporting the scene, what a concept! The staff and people involved in this venue are really working hard to pump up the scene. Check it out if you haven’t already! More info at: https://www.facebook.com/stopdroprollto/

4. Bovine Sex Club

542 Queen St W.

Talk about legendary, this Toronto punk club has been rockin’ it since early 1991! It is a must see location for anyone new to or visiting Toronto. The bar itself is used in a lot of Canadian movie and TV productions such as Orphan Black. When you visit, you’ll see why. It’s “the bar with all the crap on the walls”! The list of legendary punk bands that have played here is endless. Open 7 days a week, it’s hard NOT to play here as a punk band! The bar features great walk-in traffic and a home crowd. More info at: http://www.bovinesexclub.com/website/events.php

5. Cherry Colas

200 Bathurst St. (Queen and Bathrust)

Cherry Colas’ is not what you might normally think of when you think of a “punk Toronto venue”. It’s a bit too pretty, but don’t judge a book by it’s cover. This venue is not afraid to book indie punk bands. In fact, I’ve seen more “punk” bands play here than other so-called “punk venues”. The regulars at this club are not afraid to start a pit when things get a little punkified as well.
More info at: https://www.facebook.com/cherrycolasrocknrolla/

CMW – Canadian Music Week is back in 2017 with hundreds of bands including 54/40, Good Charlotte and Melissa Etheridge.

CMW Showcase April 18th

As Canada’s largest new music festival, CMW combines as a music, comedy, and film festival, along with hosting a conference as well as a trade and award show. This marks CMW’s 35th year! CMW takes over Toronto’s downtown live music venues putting on artist showcases and concerts of all sizes.

This year CMW brings punkabilly to the forefront with an artist showcase featuring Toronto’s punk favourite Lauren Spike. Lauren Spike will be preforming a 40 minute set with her band which will consist of new, unreleased songs. Emerging from the punk scene of Toronto, Ontario, Lauren Spike came out with her debut EP “Devil Skull” in June 2015. Stand out tracks include “Devil’s Girl” and “Bloodsucker” which both have remarkable D.I.Y. videos on Youtube. Embodying the D.I.Y. (Do-It-Yourself) punk spirit, Lauren Spike has toured Canada, including a notable performance at Amnesia Rockfest 2016 – Canada’s largest music festival. The music of Lauren Spike appeals to punk, grunge, psychobilly and rock fans alike.

Show up to the Bovine Sex Club (542 Queen Street West – near Queen & Bathurst) at 10pm sharp on April 18th to see this showcase.

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This is a Punkabilly blog written by myself, musician Lauren Spike. Punkabilly IS Psychobilly but more towards the punk specturm rather than towards the rockabilly/surf. I agree sub-sub genres can get a bit much. This blog will mostly be based on my life experience and interests. Commenting on this blog is encouraged. Disagreements are fine, but any comments of a hateful nature may be deleted.